Kupec, Fellow Legislators Vow to Fight Fraud in Minnesota

State Senator Kupec says the legislation he co-authored focuses on closing loopholes regarding government grants.

MOORHEAD, MN (KVRR) – Everyone embroiled in the issue of fraud in the state of Minnesota has a different perspective – maybe even a different specific incident that caught their eye.

State Senator Rob Kupec of Moorhead remembers his.

“There had been an employee of DHS who issued grants – sizeable grants – to a nonprofit, and then, three days later, left DHS and became a consultant for that company,” he said.

He immediately got to work trying to fix this flaw, authoring a bill that would enact specific punishments for those that attempt this kind of double-dipping.

Kupec says the legislation has bipartisan support and he’s hopeful this will show people who seek to take advantage of the system that their behavior will not be tolerated.

“You’re going to be precluded from any kind of state money for a long time,” he warned.

He’s also aware of the focus that has been placed on Minnesota itself.

“This is people’s hard-earned money, that they paid taxes on, that didn’t go to the appropriate place,” he said, regarding some of the fraudulent activity.

Kupec believes that this move will be a step towards restoring constituents’ faith in the government as an entity.

So far, the bill has cleared the State & Local Government Committee.

It has two more committees to pass before it can be heard on the state Senate floor.